PASS MASTER
Ronaldinho leaves prosecutors after Barcelona legend faces eight hours of questioning in bizarre fake passport probe
BRAZILIAN football legend Ronaldinho looked grim-faced as he left a prosecution HQ in Paraguay nearly eight hours after his summons over a falsified passport he entered the country with.
The retired Barcelona and AC Milan star refused to answer questions over the bizarre incident from waiting reporters as he was allowed out of the prosecution department responsible for pursuing organised crime.
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The 39-year-old got into a waiting car to be driven back to his luxury hotel.
A lawyer speaking for Ronaldinho, who spent Wednesday night under police guard in his presidential suite at a five-star resort near the Paraguayan capital Asuncion, confirmed afterwards the ex-footballer and his brother Roberto were still under investigation.
Adolfo Marin said the Brazilian had cooperated with the authorities but admitted he had handed an official the passport stating he was a naturalised Paraguayan when he reached Asuncion on Wednesday.
Police and prosecutors have already said the passport, and another used by his brother to get into Paraguay, were authentic documents.
They suspect their rightful owners sold before members of an “international mafia” modified them with the names and details of Ronaldinho and his sibling.
The reasons why the Brazilian pair used them to get into Paraguay when they had presented their legitimate home nation documents to leave Sao Paulo by plane for Asuncion have not been made clear.
Ronaldinho’s lawyers have hinted the former footballer thought his passport was an “honorary-type” gift of no real value.
They say the footballer just presented the first thing he got out of his bag on arrival in Paraguay.
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Mr Marin, speaking after Ronaldinho was driven from the scene just before 4pm local time, said he had been given the passport at the centre of the controversy about 20 days ago while he was still in Brazil.
That was despite conflicting earlier reports he had only been handed it when he got off the plane from Sao Paulo.
Mr Marin added: “An official identified himself and Ronaldinho handed him the first thing he found in his bag.
“He’s showed prosecutors his Brazilian passport and his Brazilian ID.
“If he had wanted to hide anything he would have used his Brazilian documents.
“Ronaldinho and his brother haven’t had any restrictions placed on their freedom but Ronaldinho has decided to remain in Paraguay for the time being pending the decision taken by public prosecutors and eventually the courts.
“He is conscious he may be charged. We recommended he answered the questions put to him today because we understand and are maintaining he has committed no criminal behaviour.”
Police and prosecutors went to Ronaldinho’s hotel - the Yacht and Paraguayan Club Hotel Resort - on Wednesday night after being informed about the passport he entered the country with.
He was due to present a free mobile health clinic service for children in Paraguay on Thursday in an event which had to be cancelled.
He was also scheduled to present his book called Genio de la Vida - ‘Genius of Life’ in English.
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Fans went to the airport to welcome him to Paraguay when he flew in on Wednesday and he was subsequently made an Illustrious Visitor of Asuncion in a ceremony shortly after his 9am arrival.
Dalia Lopez, representative of the children’s charity called Fundacion Fraternidad Angelical which Ronaldinho was due to work with, said ahead of the shock police operation at his hotel: “As a mother, woman and entrepreneur, the health of the most impoverished boys and girls is something that constantly worries me, which is why I wanted to develop a project which benefited them.
“Adding my grain of sand to this gives me great satisfaction, and what better way of doing it than with Ronaldinho as an ally, a soccer star who knows first-hand the suffering of the most vulnerable communities.”
She added: “In this new phase of his life as an entrepreneur and benefactor of several projects, our paths crossed and we managed to get this beautiful project started.
“Today Ronaldinho goes beyond the frontiers of his own country to bring a little bit of respite to Paraguay’s children.”
Paraguayan state prosecutor Federico Delfino pledged ahead of the quiz that Ronaldinho would be retained in the South American country as long as necessary.
Mr Delfino said: “He left Sao Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport in Brazil with Brazilian documents but entered Paraguay with the falsified Paraguayan passport.
“It was handed to him the moment he left the airplane.”
He added: “To be a naturalised Paraguayan citizen, as this passport stated Ronaldinho was, you have to fulfil a series of conditions like living here for around three years and working.
“Ronaldinho is a person who is famous around the world and I think we would have known if that had been the case with him.
“We already have information pointing to the numbers on the passports in the names of Ronaldinho and his brother belonging to other people. In other words the serial numbers on them belong to someone else.
“They are original passports but with the information on them adulterated.
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“Ronaldinho’s passport was issued in January of this year and the ID card in December last year.
“We were informed around midday on Wednesday.
“Ronaldinho arrived around 9.05am that morning and was in a VIP room for around 45 minutes before leaving and being greeted by fans.
“National Police informed us and we began to investigate and speak to Brazilian authorities.
“We believed Ronaldinho’s Brazilian passport and that of his brother had been withdrawn by the authorities because of financial problems.
“But we have been told by our contacts in Brazil that Ronaldinho was given his Brazilian passport back around October or November of last year.”
Insisting the retired footballer would be held as long as necessary in Paraguay, he said: “Everything has happened very quickly and we are still working on the investigation phase.
“But Ronaldinho will remain in Paraguay all the time that is needed.”
Paraguay’s Interior Minister Euclides Acevedo confirmed earlier in the day the passport Ronaldinho got into the country with was changed after being applied for a month ago.
He said the passport was applied for by a woman.
In reference to the adulterated passport and a modified Paraguayan ID card which also had Ronaldinho’s name on it, he said: “The documents were applied for and granted, but the content was changed.
“The people involved will be investigated.”
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A Brazilian businessman, named locally as 45-year-old Wilmondes Sousa Liria, was arrested on Wednesday evening and two women suspected of selling the passports used by Ronaldinho and his brother were held on Thursday.
Last September it was reported Ronaldinho and his brother agreed to pay a fine of more than £1million to recover their Brazilian passports.
A judge had seized the documents after they were convicted of building an illegal fishing platform on a lake in a conservation area.
The Head of Paraguay’s Immigration Service Alexis Penayo announced last night/on Thursday night he was resigning after being singled out for criticism by the county’s Interior Minister over the passport scandal.
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